Assistant Warden

Are you passionate about wildlife, habitats, and working outdoors? We’re looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Assistant Warden to help care for a unique network of heathland reserves and the incredible species that depend on them.

Our sites tell a powerful story of restoration and recovery:

Farnham Heath: Once a commercial conifer plantation, this landscape has been transformed back into over 100 hectares of thriving lowland heath. It is now a stronghold for species such as woodlark, Dartford warbler, nightjar, sand lizard and field cricket.

Hazeley Heath: A designated Site of Special Scientific Interest within the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area, this wetter heath supports rich biodiversity, including great crested newts, dragonflies and damselflies, and plants like sundews and heath spotted orchid.

Blackbushe Airport: One of our newest sites, also within the Special Protection Area, where we are beginning an exciting programme of heathland restoration.

As Assistant Warden, you’ll play a vital, hands-on role in managing and enhancing these special places. You’ll work alongside staff, volunteers and contractors to deliver conservation at scale, while helping to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone involved. You’ll also lead and inspire a diverse team of volunteers, including residential volunteers, ensuring they feel supported, valued and empowered to contribute.

This is a fantastic opportunity to build your career in conservation while helping shape the future of some of the UK’s most important heathland habitats. You’ll gain hands-on experience across a wide variety of conservation activities and work with dedicated colleagues and volunteers who share your passion for nature.

You will be:

• Delivering practical habitat management in line with reserve management plans and agri-environment schemes
• Maintaining estate infrastructure, tools and machinery
• Supporting ecological monitoring of key habitats and species
• Organising and leading safe, engaging volunteer work parties
• Helping to manage grazing livestock across the sites
• Assisting with contractor supervision and small project delivery
• Contributing to administration, reporting and planning
• Supporting the implementation of health and safety standards and organisational procedures

We are looking for someone with a genuine passion for conservation and outdoor work, who brings practical skills in habitat or land management or a clear willingness to develop these skills. You will feel confident working with and motivating volunteers, and be able to build positive relationships through strong teamwork and communication skills.

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Ability to carry out practical habitat management tasks (e.g. vegetation clearance, scrub control, fencing or habitat restoration) in line with site management plans and environmental requirements
• Experience maintaining outdoor sites and infrastructure, carrying out practical repairs safely and effectively
• Working knowledge of heathland ecosystems and their management, with the ability to apply this knowledge to planning and delivering conservation activities. Knowledge of woodland management would be beneficial.
• Experience leading and supporting groups of volunteers/colleagues in outdoor settings, including planning tasks, giving clear instructions and and creating a diverse and collaborative workplace where every team member’s contribution is valued.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of people demonstrating clear communication and interpersonal skills
• Competence in the safe use, basic maintenance and routine checks of tools, machinery and equipment relevant to land management. The ideal candidate will have chainsaw crosscutting and maintenance (CS30), and felling (CS31) certifications. Certification for brushcutter and strimmer would be beneficial
• Ability to contribute to ecological monitoring, including collecting, recording and reporting data on habitats and species accurately (knowledge of heathland species and survey methods or equivalent transferable ecological monitoring experience)
• Experience or ability to support livestock management activities, including routine checks and welfare monitoring, experience of working with contractors and graziers would be beneficial
• Understanding of health and safety practices in an outdoor work environment, with the ability to follow risk assessments, maintain safe systems of work and contribute to record-keeping (formal training or applied experience accepted)
• Outdoor first aid qualification or willingness to undertake training.

This is a fixed term role for 12 months, full-time for 37.5 hours per week. The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

Interviews are scheduled for 18 September 2026. For further information please contact [email protected].

As part of this application process you will be asked to complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the essential criteria listed above.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship – the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.